The Last Act
by kerimack
Summary: After Sebastian and Annette make up they go to confront Kathryn and get a shock that will change everything. Please R&R.


The Last Act

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Cruel Intentions, I just borrow them

Summary: After Sebastian and Annette make up they go to confront Kathryn and get a shock that will change everything.

Sebastian Valmont's anger was rising. As he drove his 1956 jaguar roadster through the streets of Manhattan at break neck speed the only thing he could think about was her and getting her back. She had gone to far this time, too fucking far. It was one thing when she played with his emotions for sport but it something else entirely to almost get him killed, not to mention Annette.

"Sebastian I know your upset but maybe you should slow down" Annette said calmly as he ran his second red light. After he had left Annette's apartment he had started walking around the city and while crossing the street he ran into Ronald or rather Ronald ran into him. Apparently his darling stepsister had told him all about his indiscretions with his girlfriend Cecil. If that wasn't bad enough she also told him some bullshit about him hitting her. At this point he wished he had, maybe he could of smacked some sense into her. Sebastian and Ronald fought and somehow Annette got caught up in the middle of it. While trying to prevent it she got knocked to the grown and almost got hit by an on coming car. If Sebastian hadn't pushed her away in time she would be dead.

Luckily all three were fine when all was said and done. Once Ronald had calmed down somewhat Annette had backed up his story about just how twisted Kathryn was. He shook his head ruefully and said "fuck it" and headed home. Annette and Sebastian then talked and decided that they would try to start over and take things slow. They kissed then got into his car where he vowed to hunt down Kathryn and make her pay for this stunt.

They eventually reached the Valmont townhouse in one piece. Sebastian was about to tear out of the car when Annette pulled him back. "Sebastian you have to calm down."

"Why?"

"Storming in there and getting in a screaming fight with her won't solve anything. I'm just saying think before you do anything."

"Alright" Sebastian smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek before calmly climbing out of the car and heading into the house.

When he walked in it struck him how quiet the place seemed. It was early on a Sunday morning but usually the maids were out and about doing housework. Their Vietnamese maid Mai Lie walked out carrying a vase of flowers "where the fuck is everyone?" Sebastian asked her.

The small women looked up startled "oh Miss Kathryn gave everyone the day off yesterday."

This of course made Sebastian more than a little curious. "Well that's surprisingly generous of her. I wonder what she's up to? Where is she?"

"She still sleeping" the maid told him in broken English. "She said not to disturb her." Mai Lie then left for the kitchen.

Annette and Sebastian exchanged curious glances. "Does your sister usually give every one the day off?"

He snickered "never. She's definitely up to something." Sebastian spotted a pitcher of ice water sitting on the bar and he went to pick it up. He gave Annette a wicked smile "Let's see if the wicked witch melts."

Annette returned the smile and warned, "be careful." 

Sebastian picked up the pitcher and headed to her room with every intention of dropping the freezing water on the bitch's head. He threw open the door and his heart stopped. At first he couldn't move his legs, he couldn't move at all. All the strength had left his body including his hand holding up the pitcher. The glass container hit the hard wood floor and smashed loudly into a thousand pieces. He wasn't worried about the loud noise waking her, nothing would.

There was blood everywhere. On the bed, the sheets, the floor, and all on her. Her once beautiful pale skin was now soaked in blood as was her white silk nightgown. If appeared as if she was once on the bed and then fell to the floor by the blood stains. For once in his pathetic life Sebastian was at a loss.

Eventually he got the feeling back in his legs and shakily ran to her side and knelt beside her. His brain desperately tried to figure out what happened. Had someone shot her, stabbed her, bludgeoned her to death? Then as he gently touched her he saw it, two almost neat matching cuts on each of her wrists. She had done this, she had killed herself.

At this thought Sebastian began to shake even more and then asked her in a quiet voice "what did you do? Oh god what did you do? Christ Kathryn…Kathryn…please" he pleaded as he touched her neck searching for a pulse he wouldn't find. Her skin was still warm and for an instant he had hope that he knew he shouldn't have. He screamed her name "Kathryn please!" 

Annette was on the phone with the friend she was staying with when she heard the glass shatter. She was handing up when she heard Sebastian scream moments later. She came running in and almost fainted at the scene before her and at the smell of blood. "Oh my god…wh-what happened? Is she…"

Sebastian was kneeling beside Kathryn his back to Annette. He was gently caressing his stepsister's hair and whispering to her that it would be ok. Without turning around he told Annette "call an ambulance."

Annette ran out of the room shaking and found the phone and called for an ambulance. When they arrived five minutes later one of the paramedics had to pull Sebastian away from her and ask him to step back. As they worked around her one of them looked up and said simply "I'm sorry but she's dead."

"Isn't there something you could do?" Sebastian asked quietly.

The two men exchanged looks and then he told him "I'm sorry sir but she's dead and it looks like she's been this way for at least an hour. Where going to have to take her to the hospital so they can examine the exact cause of death."

At this point Sebastian was completely numb. He stared at her once beautiful body "she killed herself."

"Yes it appears that way. Is she your sister?"

Sebastian met his eyes and said "stepsister."

"Are you parents-

"Gone. There out of the country." He had no idea how he was going to tell them.

"Well why don't you come to the hospital with us."

Sebastian nodded and both him and Annette got in is car and followed the ambulance to the hospital. They drove in silence at first either not knowing what to say. He thought back to only a half hour ago and how much he wanted to hurt her. He had gotten his wish and it had sickened him. Finally Annette asked, "I wonder why she did it?"

He didn't respond right away but eventually said, "I don't know."

She touched his arm "it's not your fault you know."

Sebastian barely heard her as he pulled into the parking lot. The rest of the afternoon seemed to float by as if a dream. Both him and Annette waited for the doctor to come out to tell them just how and when she had killed herself. At this time the police also showed up and asked him where he was that night etc. He just gave one-word answers saying he wasn't sure. Meanwhile Annette volunteered to call his parents to tell them what happened. She came back and told him that they would be back tomorrow. At this Sebastian had almost laughed, there was probably a party that was too important to miss that night. During this time Blain also called him about something or other. When he asked where he was he said in a flat voice "the hospital, Kathryn killed herself." For a minute Sebastian had thought he heard Blain choke up but he could have been mistaken. Blain always liked Kathryn.

It was almost night when the doctor came out and told him that in fact the cause of death was the two slices in her wrists. He told them she had also swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills before hand. It appeared she died shortly after Ronald left.

As Sebastian drove home something occurred to him "she didn't leave a note."

"She didn't?" Annette asked. "Maybe its for the best."

He glared at her and stopped the car when they arrived back. Sebastian walked in without a word and headed back to her bedroom. This time he didn't let all the blood bother him as he began searching the room. Annette followed him in and asked concerned "Sebastian what are you doing?"

"Looking for it," he said as he pulled off the blood stained sheets off her bed. She had to leave a note; she wouldn't have done this without telling him why.

"Sebastian, Sebastian stop" Annette said trying to pull him away.

He pushed her off "I will not stop! She's dead Annette, dead! I have to know why."

Her voice was calm as she tried to reason with him "yes I know and its sad but-

"But what?" he interrupted. "You didn't know her, I did. I was the only one in the world that knew the real Kathryn!"

"I know, but I know what you told me about her. She was sick Sebastian. Kathryn obviously had a lot of problems you can't say this is totally unexpected."

He turned to her utterly disgusted. How dare she say this was expected and act like she knew all about Kathryn. She didn't have a clue. "She never would have done something like this without a reason! Stop acting like this is some trivial little thing! My god she's dead Annette you may be happy about it but-

"I am not happy about this! I might not have liked some of the things she did but I did not want her dead!" In a softer voice she said, "I know you think you're responsible, but your not."

"What you're psycho analyzing me now?" 

"You had more than anyone reason to hate her-

"I didn't hate her. I loved her!" As he said it, it was hard to say who was more surprised Annette or Sebastian. He wasn't sure were it came from it just popped out.

A look of pain flickered across Annette's face "I-I knew you two were close. I guess I didn't realize."

"Well now you do. I need to be alone can you just leave?"

She nodded quietly "yeah, I'll call you later."

After she left Sebastian went to his room across the hall. The phone was still off the hook from when he slammed it down the other day. Christ that seemed like a lifetime ago he thought. He was pulling out a cigarette when he noticed something on his bed. As he got closer he realized it was a letter and it had his name on it in Kathryn's handwriting. He knew she would leave something, he knew it. As he opened it up his hands shook and he sat down and read.

                _My dearest Sebastian, _

_I suppose your looking for an explanation, I suppose your owed one. The simple truth of the matter is I'm fucked up but then again you know that. I went too far this time. This little game that we always play got way out of hand and its all my fault. I just wanted to win so badly, I wanted to prove to you that I was better than you. Or maybe I just wanted to get you back for hurting me. In the end you choose her over me and I can't tell you how much that hurt me. You were the only one who ever knew me, the real me and liked me in spite of it. If I don't have you I am truly all alone. I think it goes without saying that I love you, or maybe it doesn't. I thought at one time you felt the same way but maybe I was just kidding myself._

_Your friend Annette stopped over last night while Ronald was sleeping on the couch. She told me about your journal and how you gave it to her. She cares for nothing and no one she said is how you described me. I was pure evil and would destroy anyone who got in my path. I guess some of its true I just never thought you would betray me by telling her all my secrets. I suppose any sane person would say I deserved it and maybe I did but it still hurts. Anyway you should be happy she tells me you two are going to get back together and there's nothing I can do about it. I guess she's right about that. The girl turned out to be more vicious than I ever would have given her credit for. She threatens to make copies and send them out to everyone at Manchester. I don't really believe her and at this point I could give a shit._

_When I awoke this morning Ronald was already gone, looking for you I suppose. I'm sorry about that, but you know me I like to have the last word. But I suppose you don't have to worry about it anymore. I'm gone and you can finally be happy with the girl you love. Funny I always thought it would be me but I guess I managed to fuck that up pretty well. I wish I could have known though if you did actually care about me, even a little._

_I don't want you to blame yourself for this, it was all me. I told you awhile back that I couldn't stand my life sometimes. I guess that's why I've been slowly killing myself these past couple of years with the drugs and making myself sick. Well I just decided to speed up the process a little. Truth be told I won't miss much about my life but I will miss you. You were the one thing in the world that I truly loved._

_Kathryn_

Sebastian read the letter over and over again that night. She had loved him all along, it wasn't bullshit. For once it wasn't all an act, she wasn't trying to hurt him or win some stupid game. He could feel tears well up in his eyes when he realized she had died thinking he hated her. He had at times, especially last night but he had always loved her. She was always part of him and now she was gone. That night Sebastian fell asleep crying.

The funeral was a couple of days later in a one of Manhattans nicest cemeteries. It was a cold day for September as the mourners gathered outside to bid fare well to the golden girl. Sebastian wasn't surprised to see a large group had come to say goodbye. Kathryn was very popular after all and she said it herself  "everybody loves me." They didn't love her he thought bitterly as he watched Tiffani Merteuil cry, they loved the act she performed. If any of them had known the real Kathryn they would have been disgusted. She had played with all of their lives at one point or another and none of them knew it.

As the priest spoke of the great lose Sebastian stared across the casket at Cecil and Mrs. Caldwell. Cecil was crying and Sebastian had to suppress the urge to go over there and hit her. Maybe he should Kathryn would of enjoyed it. The truth was he wished they all would leave including Annette who was standing by his side. They had barely talked since the day of her death. He hadn't yet told her about how he knew she paid Kathryn a visit that night. He was waiting to see if she would eventually tell him but so far she hadn't. Sebastian did blame her almost as much as he blamed himself.

After the sermon was done and the crowed began to depart Annette turned to Sebastian "are you ready to go?"

He stared at the head stone and said in a cold voice "you talked to her that night."

"What?" Annette asked genuinely surprised.

"That night you went and told her what I wrote about her. You gave her details about the journal and then threatened to use it against her."

She was quiet for a second "I did but I wasn't going to really do anything I just wanted her to know that she couldn't hurt us. I never would have thought she would do something like this afterwards."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to and then I saw how upset you were and I knew you would blame me."

Annette really believed he would say he didn't, that he still loved her. He finally faced her "were both responsible in some way."

"I guess so."

He turned back to the grave "it's over with."

"Your right, we have to move on."

"No I mean us were over with."

*              *              *              *              *              *

Six months later Sebastian went back to Kathryn's grave. This was the first time he had since the funeral. As much as he wanted to visit her he found he just couldn't, it was too painful. It was an early March morning and the cemetery was very quiet. It was snowing lightly as he got out of the car and headed to her grave. In the past months his life had resumed to what it was before the summer. He had broken up with Annette and they never really spoke much after that. She had only gone to Manchester for a few months before transferring back to Kansas. Sebastian meanwhile had continued on with his reputation. As the school year progressed it had only managed to get worse and worse. He fucked more and more girls but it never made a difference. He still felt numb inside. No one ever made him forget her, no one even came close to taking her place.

He wasn't sure what had made him show up at her grave that day. He just woke up that morning and had to go to her. As he got to her tombstone he just stared at it a minute before saying "I guess I'm sorry won't really cut it would it? I have to admit part of me hates you for doing this, for leaving me like this. But you know that I love you" his voice broke unexpectedly "I always have." He shook his head and whipped a tear off of his face. He laughed slightly at what she would say if she saw him like this. "God could you be any more of a pussy?" she would snicker.

Sebastian sighed, "How could you think that I didn't? After everything we've been through that I really hated you. True you probably gave me plenty of reason, but I could never hate you. Were two of a kind remember? I just don't know what to do without you."

He had brought one rose and a pair of keys that he had made up. Sebastian gently set the rose down of the tombstone and held the keys in his hand and smiled "you deserved this Kathryn." He placed them on the ground beside her. "God I miss you, I always will."

The End


End file.
